Man jailed for street attack on disabled woman

Bradford Crown Court

Published:14:01Thursday 14 February 2013

A Mixenden man who carried out a drunken street attack on a disabled woman has been jailed for four-and-a-half years today.

Last October 45-year-old Janesse Mousea, who uses a walking stick, was captured on CCTV footage hobbling towards a cash machine in Old Cock Yard, Halifax, late a night minutes before she was confronted by angry Gavin Husband.

The drunken 29-year-old had earlier tried to get money from the same ATM himself, but when he returned to confront his victim he demanded the cash she had just withdrawn.

A jury at Bradford Crown Court was shown shocking CCTV footage of Husband hitting the complainant and wrestling her onto the ground where he then knelt over her and bit her nose.

In a statement read during Husband’s trial the victim described how he was shouting “where’s my money” as she tried to fight him off with her walking stick.

She said Husband was holding her down on the ground as he bit her nose and forced his fingers into her mouth.

The victim said she was terrified, struggling for breath and screaming for help.

The CCTV footage showed police officers rushing to the area to grab Husband and pull him off his victim.

Husband, of Sunnybank Road, Mixenden, accepted he had assaulted the complainant, but denied it had been an attempted robbery.

After less than an hour of deliberation today, the jury found him guilty of attempted robbery and Recorder Toby Wynn imposed an immediate prison sentence.

The court heard that the victim had suffered nightmares in the wake of the attack and also had on-going dental problems.

Barrister Nicholas Askins, for Husband, said his client had written a letter of apology to her which had been handed to the prosecution.

Recorder Wynn described the attack as “an utterly despicable act” and said it was aggravated by the time of night and the vulnerability of the victim.

The judge said a prison term of seven years could be justified, but he was going to be more merciful bearing in mind that it would be Husband’s first substantial jail term.

“I accept that the following day when you were in custody and you were shown that DVD footage you were genuinely remorseful and ashamed of yourself and so you should be,” added the judge.